The Best Track Parent is A Proactive One
June 4, 2008
Are you proactive or reactive to your youth athletes success? What I mean is, are you thinking and planning ahead for your youth athlete success.This is not always a gold medal or a medal at all. His personal success and the sense of fulfillment he derives from participating in track and field.
Medals don’t equal long term success on the track and in life (I could talk all day about the medals lack of real meaning to our kids but that’s another conversation), if they did(mean something tangible) many of us wouldn’t be as sucessful as we are today. I’ve never won a gold medal in an Olympics,but I do have a strong work ethic and determination I learned along time ago when I did compete.Will you instill and nurture this level of success In your youth athlete that will carry on long after Youth Track?
By all accounts we as track and sports parents want to do all in our power to help our youth athlete succeed to his (and our) expected level of performance. The question is what is really in our power? What can we truly have an impact on ,helping our youth athlete. The things we can help them with are not always the obvious things we tend to think of. Here is a list of what I believe can help your youth athlete in any sport and in life too!
*Teaching good work ethic. First by example (yours) then enforcing this with your athlete in practice and application to his warm ups and races. They will need this to practice well which leads to good performances.
*Responsibility for his own actions and results .Continually age appropriate dialog regarding his responsibility on the path the parent and child have agreeded to journey together. Most children have a say in the sports they want to participate in.Once signed up both parents and athlete have responsibilities to the sport,team ,coach and each other. Are you, as a parent keeping up your end of the bargain,planning ahead , scheduling time for all the meets you have committed your athlete to. Have you paid all fees in a timely manner.Remember the coaches are VOLUNTEERS with families and responsibilities outside of the track team.Don’t make your child suffer for your ingnorance and lack of attention to cost and irresponsibility to pay in a timely manner and other adult considerations a parent is responsible for.
*Rest.Simply getting to bed on time is a big lesson athletes should learn early.If they continue in sports ,they will always need proper rest for good performance.It means placing a premium on sleep.Let them know there is a sacrifice ALWAYS in many areas of life ,it just doesn’t start when you are grown. If you don’t practice good sleep hygiene and learn and understand the why now , it will be that much harder later when it may count for larger reward and accolades. I am guilty of this sometimes, not preparing in a timely manner to get Lauren to bed when I have said she should be there. So we are learning and growing together.
*Healthy Whole Foods. Training your child to enjoy and eat healthy good food is a DAILY CHALLENGE. Just look at yourself and how hard it is to eat healthy in your hectic day.There is no easy way to over come this.I can’t make it easy. This is one of those things I say Just Do It. It becomes easier as you practice it more often. I once heard that a parent was asked what was the “edge” her nationally ranked athlete had on the competition…the mother said boldly “Half of these children out here are malnourished and dehydrated, they make it easy for my child to win. I don’t need fancy vitamins or supplements just good balanced healthy food and water is our weapon for the finals. It seems to be working too!”
Attitude. Does your attitude demonstrate respect for the coach and others of the team? Does your athlete show proper respect for the coaches on the team? Do you say things in the presence of your athlete that show you don’t respect the coach? Do you allow a lingering bad attitude from your athlete to be brought on the track during practice and meets? Attitude is very contagious GOOD and BAD.
Good Sportsmanship. Does your athlete know what good sportsmanship is.Are they demonstating the behaviors that demonstrate good sportsmanship ex: eye contact and wishing good luck to the co-competitors, after a race shaking hands and congratulations on a good race win or lose. Keeping trash talk to a minimum allowing the race to speak the loudest of an athletes abilty. Do you do the same in the stands? Are you trash talking someones kid? Or team? I believe if the kid is rude and full of bad attitude is a direct reflection on what you taught or didn’t teach your athlete. If my kid’s being rude I want to know about it right away so I can correct the behavior. Please come and tell me if my child is acting out..
Resonable expectation.Help create resonable goals and expectation based on performance and your athletes desire. No need planning for really big things in track and field when he absoultely loves tennis and says this is his last year of track . Find out what his goals and dreams are,not what yours are or what his performance reflects they could be. Don’t put the cart before the horse.Can’t get no where like that . : )
I could go on but I think you got the point. It’s not just money and personal trainers that ultimately form and develop our youth athletes sucess. It’s us.
Until Next Time
Related posts:
- Track and Field Sports Parent Code of Conduct
- Sports Parent Highlights
- 10 Ways To Be A Great Track Parent
- Parent and Coach Misconduct
- Should A Parent Begin To Sports Specify His/ Or Her Child Before 12-13 ?
Amen to that!!